Two Tampa Bay Rays minor-leaguers suspended

Two players on the Tampa Bay Rays Venezuelan Summer League team, OF Franklin Alcala and LHP Carlos Orasma, were suspended for 50 games each for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

The two tested positive for metabolites of Nandrolone, a performance-enhancing substance, which is in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

The suspensions are effective immediately. Orasma, 17, is listed in the Rays media guide as a 5-foot-9, 154-pounder who signed last October. In six appearances for the VSL Rays, he is 2-0, 3.86 with 19 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. Alcala is not in the media guide. In 12 games, he hit .086 with 19 strikeouts in 35 at-bats.

Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman said: “We’re very supportive of Major League Baseball’s policy. This is something that we take very seriously. We have a lot of measures in place to educate our players, especially in Latin America, about the policy and the negative effects that this can have both personally and professionally.”

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The Tampa Bay Rays will head into the 2015 season with Evan Longoria, Chris Archer, Alex Cobb and plenty of new faces, including manager Kevin Cash. Can they upend the Orioles in the highly competitive AL East? Come here to follow Rays news at Tropicana Field and beyond.